In most respects, the Wii U was a failure for Nintendo. The console only sold just over 13 million systems, which is a far cry from the 100+ million systems that both its predecessor and successor hit. That said, the Wii U did have its supporters and Nintendo was able to release several great games for the system. While most of them have been ported over to the Switch, there are still a few games locked to the system and many owners are still using it as a Virtual Console machine. Unfortunately, it sounds like keeping your Wii U running is about to become a bit more difficult as Nintendo Japan announced today that it will no longer be repairing Wii U consoles or peripherals.
This news was first spotted by VGC and comes soon after the Wii U and 3DS eShops have closed down for good. The two things are likely not related, as the Wii U has been out for more than a decade now. With the warranty period past and Nintendo likely not looking to manufacture new parts for a console that never sold well anyways, this news isn’t too surprising. Obviously, you’d like to see Nintendo continue to support its old consoles, but it’s just not always financially feasible.
「Wii U本体および周辺機器の修理終了予定に関するお知らせ」を掲載しました。 https://t.co/FZBd6VD8yW pic.twitter.com/ggEZifGUeN
— 任天堂サポート (@nintendo_cs) May 23, 2023
The lack of repairs certainly stings, but it’s the eShop’s closure that really hurts fans. Not only are all kinds of games now currently unavailable, but even the ones that require you to buy physical copies have likely been overpriced now that there’s no way to get them digitally. In fact, earlier today Nintendo actually released a new patch for the 3DS that seems to target hacks and pirated games, making it much tougher to get those games onto your handheld. It’s Nintendo’s right to protect its IP, but it is sad to see any preservation efforts made even more difficult.
It’s worth noting that, while this update seems to only be targeted at Japan, it’s likely that the rest of the globe will likely follow suit relatively soon. Obviously, Nintendo does handle things differently in some regions, but it wouldn’t make much sense for this to be a Japan-only move. We expect that you won’t be able to get your Wii U console or peripherals officially repaired anywhere very soon.
